Wilted Flower
by Bloody Lily
Summary: An account of the life and escapades of Lily Evans. Beautful summary isn't it? Well the story is better, Please R&R, after a few more chapters it may turn a little angsty. Fourth chapter is now uploaded! Once again PLEASE R
1. Introduction: Chance Enounter

Eep, this is just the beginning of my first story on fanfiction.net so I'm just a tad unsure of myself.Please remember to review it when you're done so I can know how many mistakes I made! Disclaimer: I do not own any of the charming characters that JK Rowling has thought up in her oh so creative head, I do however own the character Danielle Pierce, who will be coming up in the next chapter or so Wilted Flower  
Lily Marie Evans was strolling across the lawn of the grounds outside her beloved school, Hogwarts, as she usually was on a day such as this. The sun was gleaming down from its glorious place in the sky and the light autumn wind kissed her fragile porcelain skin as it tingled her nose with scents of falling leaves and apple cider which always seemed to linger in the air, even though there was no cider to be found outside. The previously mentioned wind swept Lily's fiery red hair back behind her head in a rather attractive manner. Then again, it was rather hard for this sixteen year old to appear unattractive. Her enchanting emerald eyes shone at you, devouring your soul, and taking your secrets with them as they departed. Her figure, slender but not so thin as to be bony, also complimented her well.  
Clutched to her chest was a rather thick book, most likely a gift from her parents as it appeared to be written by a muggle author. Muggle for the less knowledgeable is a word used by witches and wizards alike, to describe a non-magical person. Lily's parents, as you might have deducted, were muggles, thus Lily was a muggle-born, an attribute that gained her much scrutiny from the pureblooded wizards of the school.  
It just so happened that at that moment, one of these pureblood wizard came running across the grass on an inevitable collision course with Miss Evans. Unfortunately, the moment that Severus Snape decided to break his gaze from the leaves crunching under his feet, was the moment that his body collided with hers. This violent impact caused the both of them to fall, crashing into a large pile of multicolored leaves.  
Lily blinked curiously up at Severus, as the fall seemed to leave him lying on top of her, her pale cheeks flushing with a deep pink. "Er.'ello." It was the first thought that came into her mind, and it would have to do.  
Severus seemed just as embarrassed as her, but his mind was immersed in her beautiful eyes, which were, as was mentioned before, quite absorbing. Finally, his unconsciousness dragged him out of this trance- like state of mind when it did that oh so involuntary act of blinking. "Oh yes.Hello." He muttered as he leapt up from the spot in the leaves.  
He stuck out a long arm to her in a gentlemanly way, hoping she'd take it. "I'm sorry about that.It seems I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," It rolled off his tongue quickly enough that he didn't realize what he was saying. Of course, as is the nature of mankind, the words developed in his mind and he immediately threw on the appropriate mask. "Of course, neither were you. Damn mudblood," he added sharply and cruelly. His arm coiled back in, and he left it to rest at his side. He turned on his heel and strutted away feeling rather proud of his obnoxious cruelty towards a 'lower class' of witch.  
And such was the way that Severus behaved (had behaved to be precise as this had been his manner since he and Lily had entered the school as measly first years) towards Lily. So, Lily just stood there, not exactly dumbfounded, but she hadn't been expecting that either.  
Perhaps it was the way that he had looked so kindly into her eyes when they first fell, or maybe it was his gentle attitude when he began apologizing, but she no longer believed that Snape was as harsh as people liked to believe.  
Now, when it came to Lily, people liked to believe that she was a tender soul, kind and just, and not at all tainted. She was an innocent in a progressing world of violence and disrespect, but being an innocent wasn't always what Lily liked to be perceived as.  
  
Heh, yeah I know its not the best first chapter to get you all interested in what will possibly happen next, but well that's too bad. As I said before, Please review, I would really like some commentary on this. Also, sorry if the length is a little short, or a little long for that matter, I'm still not sure on the correct length for each chapter, but eventually I'll find a happy median 


	2. A Devious Plan

Hi! Thanks for coming back to my fiction. It's much appreciated. I tried to make this one a little longer. My last one was very short, but thats OK! Thansk to all the reviewers, especially the ones who don't know where I live, because those are the only ones who did the reviewing of their own free will -malicious grin-  
  
---------------------------------------------------------  
  
It was the first day of winter, a brisk day, the kind that always gave Lily chills up and down her spine. Luckily, she was indoors at this moment, and wrapped in a thick, cozy cloak.  
It was her first class of the day, Potions. It wasn't that bad of a class and Professor Rochester wasn't that bad of a teacher. It was the Slytherins and how her fellow Gryffindors treated them that Lily couldn't stand. Why the authorities of Hogwarts had chosen to place the two houses that hated each other most was beyond her. There were so many prejudices between the rival houses. To Slytherins, Gryffindors were muggle-lovers who weren't fit to lick the scum from their shoes. To (most) Gryffindors, Slytherins were dark-arts obsessed slimy creatures that must have squirmed out from the bottom of the lake while they had their backs turned. The only exception to this perpetuating hate was the angelic Gryffindor with herself, Lily Evans.  
On this particularly nippy day, Professor Rochester was rambling on about something she had covered many times, most likely for the benefit of certain Gryffindors who never seemed to pay attention. Namely, James Potter, Sirius Black, And Peter Pettigrew. They were the marauders themselves, or at least three out of four of them. The terrors of the school. Pranksters to every student who happened to pass them in the halls. Their exploits even made Peeves, the school Poltergeist who had been around as long as anyone could remember, green with envy, that is if its even possible for a translucent figure to become green. Of course, like all great bullies in their prime, they had narrowed down their victims to one singular socially-astray prey.  
"And, as some of you seem to be forgetting," Professor Rochester shot a rather grave look directly at Sirius, "if you stir the mixture clockwise, it will lead to very die circumstances, as Mr. Black has demonstrated by the many mishaps attributed to his name." She spoke in her normal, matter- of-factly tone.  
As it turned out, she had a right to as Professor Rochester was considered in her day one of the top potions experts in all of Europe. "If it weren't for that bloody American", as Rochester once put it, she'd have claimed the top spot in the world.  
"Well Professor, I just can't help but try and set a positive example. After all there are some people in her who don't even know how to make a simple fire just to get out of class." His eyes darted to Lily, along with another rather pale looking student in the corner of the class.  
  
"Well, you'll have to learn to refrain yourself Mr. Black. I'm sure the young scholars could do without your guidance." She glanced swiftly at the clock on the wall. It was no ordinary clock, as it was enchanted to point to not what time it was, but what the owner, Professor Rochester, was expected to be doing at that moment. At this moment, its hand was directed at 'Dismiss Class'  
With an aggravated sigh at not accomplishing what she had set out to do this class, she waved her wand, muttering under her breath a simple spell and the door at the back of the classroom swayed open. "Alright then class, you are dismissed. Please remember to write your homework, a twelve- inch essay on the uses of werewolf fang and its dark arts origins." The professor sincerely doubted that the students had head a word of what she said. They filed out of the room rather quickly, almost toppling over one another as they went.  
Only one student was remaining, a smug looking Gryffindor. To be honest, this Gryffindor was not only smug looking, but also rather handsome. His hair semi-long raven black hair fell over his eyes with a casual elegance that was quite uncommon to the students of Hogwarts. Being the shallow creatures we are, this boy was not lacking in admirers. He also had a sort of mischievous grin that made quite a few hearts melt with a single gleam.  
There he sat, at his own desk, deeply concentrating on what seemed to be some sort of plan. Furiously, he used his quill to scratch something out, as he mumbled a few inaudible lines. After a few moments he lifted his head to find the professor glaring menacingly at him. Sirius, being the clown he was, grinned with extreme solidity.  
"Pardon me if I'm wrong, but I do believe that all students were to exit the classroom, unless of course they were asked to stay after by me to help me with something, or are in need of some help. Now, knowing you and the marks you usually receive, Mr. Black, I think I can safely assume that you are in desperate need of some assistance," her eyebrows shot up as she eyed the paper he had been scribbling on, "and I just KNOW that this paper," A long bony finger tapped on the parchment, " does not contain anything that could be against the very strict Hogwarts rules, such as. a menacing plot against a fellow student, perhaps?"  
"Actually Professor," He replied with a dashing smirk, "I think I'm doing positively splendidly in class. And, as for this paper, it's completely blank. See?" He held up the paper for her to see and hark! It was completely blank!  
Professor Rochester blinked several times. But, she had just seen him writing. How could this be possible. Her lips mumbled random blabber as she slowly turned around and stumbled back to her desk, completely oblivious of Sirius's sniggering. He swept up his books and strutted out of the room in his usual egotistical manner.  
Of course, the paper was not blank, it never had been. He had just cast a simple charm on it to make it appear blank to all eyes but his. One would think that the highly praised Professor would be a tad sharper than this, but it may be true when they say that geniuses lack the most minute amount of common sense. What it did contain, however, was precisely what Professor Rochester had predicted, a devious plan to humiliate none other than Sirius's favorite target, Severus Snape, AKA Snivellykins.  
  
Once upon a Saturday Lily Evans was sitting outside, despite the cold weather and snow, in the company of Mr. James Potter. In between the pair sat a medium-sized cauldron, which was bubbling with an odd shade of magenta.  
Lily sighed and gently slapped away James's wrist as he reached for the wrong ingredient. "Bugger James! I don't know how many times I've told you, you have to add the morning glory extract before you add the dragon scales!" She was quite appalled at his lack of care in the matter. An hour out in the cold and they still hadn't made a bit of progress.  
"I know, I know.but, what I don't know is why in the hell are we out in this weather?"  
She just rolled her eyes. It seemed James hadn't heard a word of her twenty minute lecture on the necessity of cold temperatures for the potion they were preparing.  
"James, you're just begging for bad marks in potions, aren't you?" Her eyes glared at him ferociously as if she was about to attack. "If I hadn't agreed to tutor you, you- well, I don't know what you'd do. Cheat probably." she added in a more subdued, but frustrated tone.  
"Oh relax, Tiger Lily," James whispered as he stroked her striped Gryffindor scarf. "I assure you, I've learned enough from your m-"  
"Mudblood ways?" A cruel voice chimed in. The voice belonged to Miss Daniel Pierce, a formerly sweet Gryffindor who had turned away from her muggle-friendly circle of companions in favor of more.pure associations. "I have to say, James, I agree whole heartedly." She twitched her nostrils in a manner that implied she had detected a rather foul odor.  
James seemed as if he was ready to implode. His neck was strained and his eyes were focused. His left ear wiggled in the most curious manner, as they had a tendency to do when he was enraged. "Danielle, if you think for-"  
"Calm down James. If Danielle here wishes to express her beliefs she may do so. I just can't promise I'll be there to listen." She pulled herself up slowly, shaking off a few stray flakes as she went and pulling her scarf a tad tighter around her neck. "James, be a dear and bring the cauldron in when your done conversing with your friend." Quite a bit of sarcasm could be detected in her mood.  
Lily strolled inside the castle as if nothing had happened, but once she was out of site she let out of string of curses from under her breath.  
Mudblood.such a disgraceful word it was. The eight letters would plague Lily for her Hogwarts life and beyond. Pureblood wizards of old had spawned the hatred for muggle-borns and it has yet to falter of die. In a world where even her former best friend could be so cruel and use the unjust word, how would Lily live?  
  
In all her thoughts about her least favorite nickname, (Mudblood, not Tiger Lily as James had always called her after he got over his 'Evans' phase) she failed to notice her fellow distracted student galloping down the hall. It was a beautifully clichéd collision which sent both of them falling to the ground along with a number of scattered objects.  
"Er.Sorry 'bout that Evans," Sirius Black's smooth voice sliced through the awkward silent spell, "It seems you weren't paying attention."  
Lily blinked at him for a moment. Sirius somehow had been able to amaze her with his egotism, yet again. "I'm so sure, Sirius."  
"Yeah, well, I'm in a bit of a rush, you know. Can't keep my fan club waiting." He stopped a moment to wink at her mischievously. "Have you seen James anywhere?"  
"He's outside somewhere." she shrugged. A slight frown line appeared on her brow as she discovered the identity of the fallen objects. They included a book dubbed Charms For the Ages. "Why are you looking for him?" She was becoming suspicious there could only be one reason why Sirius would be reading a charms book.  
"Because I want to snog him silly, Lily. He's my best mate! What do you think?" He exclaimed as he began his sprint down the halls.  
Lily giggled a bit. "Ah Sirius, when will you ever learn?" She mumbled in afterthought to no one in particular.  
  
A/N Ok this last part was originally chapter three but then I realized that it was wayyyyyy too short. So I combined the second and third chapter Hopefully this'll mean that peoples interest will be kept well better. The new chapter three will be up as soon as I figure out what prank Sirius shall pull. 


	3. Broken Ties

Yes! It's the long long long long awaited brand spankin new third chapter! Disclaimer is in the first chapter.  
  
A week after the last described escapade, Sirius and his fellow marauders were tinkering and snickering in the Gryffindor Common Room over a mysterious plot. Unbeknownst to our heroine, Lily Evans, they were not just gabbing over new names for their beloved Severus Snape, but were actually contemplating the best way to pull of a prank the very next day.  
The group had an odd look about them. Remus was missing from the party. Good-hearted Remus was never the one to become excited over the losses of his fellow students. At the same time, juvenile and mischievous, not to mention foolhardy, James and Sirius were taking command of the opportunity, inserting every possible low shot and stab directed at Severus behind his back. What stuck out, though, was the timid Peter, with his follower attitude and quivering lip. His home life hadn't been exactly pleasant, leading him to believe that he had never really had a place there and making the marauders a sort of untraditional home for him. Sometimes James and Sirius were cruel to him and treated him like he was just some tag-along.  
Then in a flash of auburn, came the only person who had ever treated Peter, frankly as Peter. It was, of course, the young Lily Evans. He gazed longingly at that soft and shimmering hair of hers, those striking eyes, that pale but smooth and iridescent skin.  
Peter knew that he was never the only one who admired this beauty. He had seen the revealing way James had watched her during class and the way his hand twitched with nervousness in her presence. Never, just never though, could he feel as deeply for her as he did, or at least that's what Peter thought.  
Lily glanced at the boys, not taking much heed to their conniving. Instead, she merely flopped down on an archaic and worn in couch, before curling up and drifting off to sleep. The cozy fire that the house elves had prepared glowed magnificently on her skin and enlivened her already stunning hair.  
Lily's mind drifted into the deepest corners of it's subconscious. Something was nagging her, something unforeseen. A misty vision appeared in her mind. She was swimming, surrounded by water on all sides. There was not a solid object in sight, besides herself. She kept going though, always swimming. The very fear of letting go kept her afloat. A ledge appeared. Finally, her persistence had paid off. She grasped the corner of the ledge and attempted to pull up, but as soon as she tried to escape, the ledge became impossible to hold and she fell into oblivion again. Again and again she tried to climb up. The ledge was even more exhausting and discouraging than the water itself. Every last bit of energy was sucked from her body, even her soul was void of energy. At last, she gave up. She stopped the struggle, the kicking, the frantic grasping for the ledge and just drifted down. She fell away from it all, but the more she fell the more it surrounded her. She was just diving deeper and deeper into the turbulent sea. There seemed to be no hope of salvation from this prison, but then a hand reached down to her. It was strong and seemed to have a glow surrounding it. It gripped her arm and gently pulled her to the surface, she was practically floating to the surface, lifted on the wings of this angel. It soared her onto the very ledge that before had frustrated her so, but now she stood on top of it. The radiant hand became attached to an equally radiant arm and body, but this very radiance made it near impossible to see. Lily squinted and tilted her head as the creature took her into it's arms. She could begin to see the facial features, the glow was fading. It was a man, a young man, about her age, she knew it. In one last flash, the glow disappeared.  
With the glow however, Lily's vision left and she awoke from her slumber to find that it was already nine-thirty in the morning. The common room looked so vast when it was empty.  
"Wait.empty?" she thought, putting the dream into the back of her mind. "Everyone must be in class already," she exclaimed outside her mind this time. She rocketed off from the alluring red velour couch and, without changing, rushed out of the common room wearing the same robes she had worn the day before and without so much as a glimpse into a mirror. She was never one to obsess over her appearance anyways.  
The hallways seemed especially slippery today, perhaps because Lily was soaring down the corridors at a rather unsafe speed. Various portraits called out to her, but it was in vain. She didn't have time to pay attention to the rambling nonsense of long since forgotten subjects. She sliced around a bend towards her first class, History of Magic. The halls were so lonely. The patter of her feet echoed through the castle, not that Lily would notice anyways. She had never been late for class, and she had never slept in before. She was beginning to slip, not in the hallways or on the staircases, but in her studies. She was no longer the perfect student with the indescribably high standards and ideals, but normal. Normal was almost an ungraspable concept for her.  
Some velvety green mass suddenly exploded in front of her eyes, interrupting her thoughts. She was thrown back a few feet, but for once kept her balance. The collision had been with one of her younger teachers, Professor McGonnagall.  
"Oh dear, Miss Evans, you're going to have to be more careful when you roam these halls. What are you doing up so early anyways? Most students are still snoozing in their beds at this hour," said the chatty Professor. In the years to come, her chattiness would develop into a sharp tongue and an aptitude for scolding young delinquents . Sharp brown hues scanned Lily, wondering where she could be going that so important.  
"But, Professor, why would everyone still be asleep? Is it some so-" It clicked in Lily's mind. Saturday, that's what it was. "Oh bugger, sorry professor seems I'm suffering from short term memory loss. I'll be getting back to the common room now."  
"You do that. Miss Evans," she muttered before scurrying off in the opposite direction.  
"Good God Lily, you are daft. Saturday! Of course." she sighed exasperatedly at herself.  
Upon her return to the portrait covering the Gryffindor Common Room, she whispered to the pleasantly plump woman in front of her, "Boggart's wart." Then slipped into the common room through the open portal.  
"Well, what a present surprise. Hello, Tiger Lily. Sneaking off in the wee hours of the morning are we?"  
Lily was facing the portrait, closing the door when this voice rang out from behind her. She didn't need to turn to identify it. There was only ever one person who called her and, amazingly enough, got away with it, that name.  
"James, why must you stalk me? I have to admit your devotion is flattering, but it's also a bit.disturbing," she said casually. Her arm had dropped to her side, but she did not face her "stalker" until she finished her sentence. Her eyes landed on James, sitting so confidently on the couch in front of the fire, his head and upper body facing her and a spark of playful teasing in his eye.  
"Come on, Evans, you know if I ever did stalk you, you would be smirking the entire time."  
"You're especially boastful today. Whatever happened to the humble boy who need tutoring for Potions?" Lily stepped forward cautiously towards him.  
"He came up with a smashing plan."  
Lily stopped mid-step and apprehensively raised her eyebrows.  
"James Potter, what are you plotting?"  
A group of giggly third year girls came downstairs, not even noticing their presence.  
"Monika, Thomas totally likes you! Didn't you see him blush?"  
The girl who was, assumingly, Monika was doing a bit of blushing herself, while the other two young teens let out yet another obnoxious giggle.  
"Nevermind.I'm off to breakfast, see you later James," she muttered. "Hopefully, later is when you finally learn not to be such an idiot at times."  
James opened is mouth, ready with another retort, but she was gone before he could get out a single syllable.  
  
The rest of the day at Hogwarts passed uneventfully. Then, about an hour before dinner, a peculiar sound could be heard echoing through the hallowed halls. The sound was coming ever closer. It grew louder to the ears of the dining students, until, after a few minutes and much gossiping on the part of the pupils, the intriguing sound finally became defined.  
It was similar, identical actually, to the quacking of ducks. Several tables of girls giggled at the thought that maybe someone had turned their headmaster into a mallard, but they soon were corrected. In strode Severus Snape with a small flock of ducks streaming behind him. Instantly, there came an uproar that could be heard throughout the school. Almost every student present at that moment roared with laughter, turning Severus's already perturbed face into a mess of a wrinkled brow and severely blushed cheeks.  
One of the roguish little mallards hopped up onto Ravenclaw table and exclaimed in a clear tone, "Ugly." Another duck followed suit, this time saying, "Git." and they went back and forth like this for several excruciating minutes for Severus, and several delightful minutes for the crowd.  
"Why did I have to get hungry and decide to come to the most crowded place in all of Hogwarts? Why do I always do this to myself?" he thought to himself. He just stood there, petrified.  
Eventually, the two original ducks stepped down and two more flopped on to the table, uttering a song with the simple lyrics of "Snivelly" and "kins."  
This broke Severus's trance. Her darted to te entrance, but ended up running right into an enormous tapestry covering the entire portal. Weaved into the tapestry were the words, "Greasy Snivellykins." Severus switched his eyes over to the other portal where another tapestry proclaimed, "Needs a shower."  
Severus only had time to mumble these words to himself before a glob of floral fragranced shampoo smacked down onto his head followed by a sprinkle of ice cold water, still in a state of shock, Severus got down and lifted up the tapestry the best he could and slid under. He raced to the nearest boys' bathroom and used a charm to seal the door behind him. There he finally let his emotions go. Tears flooded from his eyes, turning him into a sight quite similar to the renowned Moaning Myrtle, who at that time was only a few years dead.  
Back at the Great Hall, Lily had witnessed everything and was scanning the Gryffindor table viciously for the culprits. There they were, at the very end of the table, congratulating each other on a prank well done.  
She stormed over and in an overly enraged tone blurted out, "Sirius Black and James Potter don't either one of you ever think of speaking a word to me again! And, James, if you think that doesn't mean that you're on your own for potions, well then I'll let you know that I'd rather pay a visit to the deep of the Forbidden Forest than help improve your grades. You'd probably just use what I taught you to give Severus boils or something." She spoke so rapidly she barely had time to breath. "You two are so infuriating!" She whipped around, leaving behind her a snorting Sirius and a very lonely looking James.  
"Well, that's it Lily," she told herself, "the last few people in the school you could actually get along with are gone. But who bloody needs those insolent jerks anyways.a few more years and I'll be gone from this forsaken school forever."  
All the while she was mumbling to herself, she was trudging outside in the snow and brisk morning air. She slumped down into the crisp snow against a corner in the castle wall and glared angrily up at the heavens wondering why she was stuck in the body of a sixteen year old when she felt that she had a much older soul than that of her peers.  
A tear leaked from her eye and strolled down her cheek that was now flushed with red from the cold winter. She could survive this way, somehow she would. Friends were so overrated and the boys in her school were far too juvenile to have a serious relationship. Lily would live as a loner for the rest of her years here, or at least until the rest of the school caught up with her.  
  
Woo! New chapter three is done! Aren't the chapter lengths a lot better than before???? Ok well I'll be working on the fourth chapter soon, probably right after I finish the second chapter for Cocoa Puffs: The Sirius Black Story (Formerly titled Sex drugs and cocoa puffs even though it doesn't include any of the first two. ) Remember, cookies for all reviewers! XD ok so anyways, when I was first writing this chapter I really didn't like it but I changed a lot and I think it's a bit better now, but don't be afraid to flame me, trust me I can take it and I know I can improve a lot with my writing. But this chapter just renewed my interest in this story so I'll probably be writing a lot more frequently, well that is until I get back into that mood, you know? Wait.I'm babbling.just review ok???? 


	4. Potions Partners

Lily was sitting alone at the Gryffindor Table for breakfast a few mornings later. In front of her sat a plate with only a small plain muffin with a few nibbles on it. Her eyes were eerily down cast at her plate, despite her straight-back posture. She had transformed into a loner within a matter of days, hours even and there was no wonder as to why. In her frustration over those awkward teenage years they were all stuck in without her she shied away from all contact with her fellow students as if they were poison. In turn, every one of those awkward teenagers also chose to ignore her.  
This morning, an argument between two Slytherins was raging on behind her back. Lily was listening in on every bit, whether it be from curiosity or boredom.  
"Bugger off Lucius," a girl said in a rather perturbed way.  
"Come on Lizzie dear, you know you want a real Slytherin man to be with you, maybe I'd change your opinion of Slytherins," replied a callous sounding seventh year.  
Lily rolled her eyes. She knew how the Slytherin girl felt, having an obnoxious guy after her heart. If this boy, Lucius apparently, had any sense he'd back off from the girl lest he end up like James.  
"Lucius, you're a real JERK."  
"You know you don't mean that honeybunch."  
"If you think that then you know nothing about me, wait, of course you don't understand me, you're an insensitive git!"  
Lucius reached out to and put his hands on her shoulders pulling her in closer to him.  
"Get OFF!" she screeched as she pried his hands off of her and pulled away causing her to knock into Lily who was still listening in. She regained her balance and glared at Lucius threateningly  
"You're so cute when you're mad my dear, well if you want me to leave I will," he said with a smirk as he backed away off to the Slytherin table.  
  
The girl turned around to face Lily and apologized, "I'm really sorry about that, Lucius is just an idiot."  
"Oh, its alright, I know how you feel. There is a guy I used to be friends with, but lately he has just been, well, acting like a pig," Lily smiled discreetly at her own words, imagining James with the nose of a pig.  
  
The girl held out her hand to Lily and said, "My name's Elizabeth Creeks."  
Lily took the hand and gave it a good shake before dropping it and saying, "Mine is Lily Evans, its nice to meet you."  
Her eyes were drawn to the Slytherin patch on Elizabeth's robes. Apparently Elizabeth saw that because she told Lily, "Oh, don't worry. I'm not like them." She glanced back at the Slytherin table.  
Lily smiled. Elizabeth seemed believable.  
"In fact, I really don't even know why I got put in Slytherin, well, besides the fact that I'm pureblood."  
"I swear sometimes the sorting hat does make mistakes."  
"Yeah really," she said with a sigh. "I just wish that I could be in Ravenclaw or something, anything besides Slytherin. Hell, I'd take Hufflepuff above Slytherin."  
Lily giggled. "Yeah I guess I'd rather be in Hufflepuff too."  
Lily wandered off into her own thought, "Wow, this is amazing. I'm actually talking to someone, and gasp, she's not a repulsive! Maybe there is hope for this school."  
"Yeah, well I got to go. I got an early Care of Magical Creatures to get to."  
"Have fun, Elizabeth. I'll see you later."  
"Yeah, maybe I can sneak into the Gryffindor table during lunch." She laughed along with Lily. Then she waved good-bye and walked out of the Great Hall.  
An innocent smile grew across Lily's face. "Perhaps there is someone with maturity in this school," she thought to herself.  
  
Later that day, James could be found sitting in his usual circle of friends, but something was different. He seemed to be detached from the group. Sirius and Remus were chatting about the latest History of Magic lesson and debating whether or not the class really mattered. Peter was listening intently to them, leaning in to hear their every word.  
James, however, was off in his own world. His head was fixedly facing the roaring fire and was propped up upon one hand. His other hand was busy combing through his hair, although James was most likely not aware of it.  
"What are we going to learn in a class where all we can do is sleep? I tell you, the class is bloody boring. So what if trolls rebelled in the year six hundred seventy-two? Guess what Remus. No one cares."  
"Sirius, your chances of graduating are rather bleak."  
"Thanks!"  
Remus just sighed. He wasn't in the mood to put up with Sirius's occasional incompetence. His attention was drawn to James as he finally realized James hadn't been participating in their argument.  
"What do you suppose he's thinking about?" Sirius asked, apparently he had noticed too.  
"Cheesecake." Peter said dumbly. The two boys gave him an exhausted glare. "What? That's what I usually think about.."  
"That and Lily," he added in his own thoughts.  
By that time James had noticed that the three were all staring at him. "What? Did I miss something?"  
"Yeah, a whole conversation," Sirius declared.  
"What's on your mind, Prongs?" Remus asked concernedly.  
James thought for a moment, apparently debating with himself whether or not to tell them.  
"I miss Lily..."  
"James Potter? The king of dating three different girls every week? Misses a girl?"  
"Yeah its crazy, I know, but see I think that maybe all that stuff about there being more to liking someone than their looks, I think maybe that might be true."  
"But I thought that was just a myth made up by greeting card companies to sell cards." Sirius said rather dumbly.  
"Yeah, so did I, but there's this horrible feeling in my chest. I can't believe it. She hates me."  
"Don't worry, Prongs. I heard that girl Daniel Pierce fancies you quite a bit. She's not bad looking either."  
James sighed and fell back into his own thoughts. Sirius rolled his eyes at him and went back to his argument with Remus.  
The discussion continued until dinnertime when they headed down to the Great Hall, all of them with the exception of James. He continued on his contemplation in front of the fire for a good deal of time.  
Eventually the trio returned from dinner caked in all kinds of foods and drinks.  
"James! You missed it! There was a completely crazy food fight at dinner. Started by the Slytherins, I suspect. But the good thing is, we didn't get blamed for it and I nailed a first year twerp right in the forehead with my mashed potatoes," Sirius came bouncing over to James and exclaimed over-joyously.  
"I do have to admit James, it was very invigorating," Remus added.  
James threw them a half-hearted grin. He earnestly wished he had been able to enjoy the fight, but for the first time in his life, James Potter didn't see the amusement in various food goods floating through the air.  
  
The day after, James, Lily, Sirius and all the other sixth year Gryffindors could be found sitting, once again, in the dungeons accompanied by all the Slytherin sixth years. Professor Rochester presided over the class in her usual manner, strictly but fairly.  
"-And who here can tell me a few of the many purposes of Lacewing Flies?"  
A hand shot up from the front of the class.  
"Yes, Miss Taylor."  
The girl smiled proudly and said, "Lacewing flies are the key ingredient, along with a bit of a person's hair, in polyjuice potion and is less known as an ingredient in a simple warning potion."  
"Very well. Now, I want you all to get working on your potions. You'll find the exact recipe on the board." She waved her arm in a showy fashion at the board. Long, flowing writing seemed to leap from somewhere behind the board. "You'll also be working in partners. Mr. Miller, join Miss Getsy please. Mr. Potter, you may go with Mr. Douglas. Miss Evans, hmm, I'll put you with Mr. Snape."  
Lily groaned lightly from her seat in the middle left of the classroom. She had tried to be gentle with Severus before in order to make him a bit more humane, but she had failed. The doubt that this time would be any different was overwhelming. Grudgingly, she lifted her books and shuffled to the back of the classroom.  
"'Ello Evans. I expect you'll need quite a bit of help with this, but it's all right. I know how being a mudblood can be difficult. Oh wait, I'm a pureblood," he cackled at his own not-so-funny pun causing greasy stands of hair to flop around his forehead unattractively.  
"I'm going to let that comment slide only because I know you didn't believe a word of it," she replied in a nonchalant tone. She then swung herself down into her seat and inspected the ingredients placed before them.  
Severus glanced over at her with a perception that seemed to look past everything. "Evans? You never did know about any of Potter and Black's schemes, did you?"  
"Of course I didn't," she said with full sincerity as she picked up the instruments she needed for crushing the Lacewing flies.  
He nodded solemnly in response and gathered up the wings, a smile eventually showing in his lips.  
About ten minutes later their wings were crushed and stewing in a pewter pot over a fire beside them. The fire lit up Lily's face, restoring her recently absent glow.  
"That was surprisingly easy," Lily said.  
"Who knew making something into powder could actually be interesting?" Sirius laughed at himself in his own mind. He wasn't being sarcastic for once in his short life.  
Lily smiled innocently at him before pouring the contents of the cauldron into a jar marked "Snape & Evans."  
Professor Rochester dismissed the class several minutes later with a promise of some more class time to work. The partners gathered together their books and walked back to their respective worlds.  
Before Lily even had a chance to set one foot out of the classroom, Sirius came bounding up to her with a smirk on his face.  
"So, Evans, how was it working with everyone's favorite grease ball?" Sirius inquired.  
Lily's eyes glanced at him with a glaring hatred. She quickened her pace in an attempt at avoidance.  
Sirius put on a false look of betrayal before giving up on the stubborn girl and drifting off to his regular crowd.  
After Sirius, came a more welcome visitor. Lily's new acquaintance, Elizabeth Creeks, called to her from a few feet behind, "Lily! Wait up!"  
Lily stopped in her tracks and spun around to face Elizabeth. "Lizzy! Hey!" She turned back around and continued walking as Elizabeth caught up to her. "Where you headed?"  
"Just off to the Slytherin Common Room to do a bit of homework before I have to get back to class. What about you?"  
"Me? I'm off to the wonderful world of transfiguration. One of my best subjects actually."  
"You have a best subject? I thought you were just good at everything."  
Lily smiled, "I wish, its called s-t-u-d-y-i-n-g."  
"Studying? What's that?" Elizabeth said playfully. "So, anything new? I saw you were stuck with Severus for Potions class. Musta been dreadful. He's an outcast even in his own house, you know."  
Lily shrugged, "Its really all just a matter of getting to know the real Severus Snape. He's a nice guy beneath his exterior."  
Elizabeth nodded in agreement, "That's the spirit, Lily. Faith in mankind. We don't get too much of that around here."  
The girls turned a corner together. "Well, to be honest, Lizzy, I am losing faith in a large part of our species."  
"Yeah, having James and Sirius on your case every other minute can't be helpful. At least I only have one obnoxious guy determined to make me either his or miserable for the rest of my life."  
"James seems to have backed off, but I don't know."  
"Lily? I was thinking, if not hating Snape is all a matter of getting to know the real him, what if not hating James and Sirius is all a matter of getting to know the real them."  
"Then I'll just have to regret never taking the time to dig beneath their surfaces, because I refuse to get lost in the muck that coats them on the outside."  
Elizabeth observed her friend for a moment before realizing she had passed the hallway to go to her common room. "Whoops, sorry Lily but the common rooms is back that way. I'll see you at dinner ok?"  
"Yeah, sure. See you later."  
Lily wandered off down the hall to the transfiguration room, occasionally gazing out the window at the sun reflecting brilliantly off the snow. It would be Christmas soon, Lily would go home to a warm abode filled with relatives and fruit cake. A traditional muggle Christmas was just what she needed. Lily, however, had no way of foreseeing that she'd be visiting her home a bit earlier than Christmas.  
  
It is done! Finally! After all this time. It wouldn't have taken me quite as long but I changed around the entire ending and I like it much better this way, but then again I always like it when I'm done writing it, it's the days after that I become frustrated with it. But that, my friends, is a different story. If you liked the story, or even if you didn't please review. I could always use the extra encouragement for getting around to Chapter five. 


End file.
